The world of sports betting has always been a magnet for Hollywood filmmakers. Plus, it seems to reason that it would. Everybody from players and coaches to friends and family and, of course, bettors are thrown into the fictional but educational world of sports betting in these three films. Play situs slot games to earn money and get settled.
“Casino” 1995.
Goodfellas, Mean Streets, The Departed, and The Gangs of New York are just a few of Martin Scorsese’s masterworks that delve into the dubious fringes of American society.
Epically exploring the role of organized crime in major Las Vegas casinos during the 1970s, Casino is based on the real story of Frank “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro).
Ace is an ethical individual who pays close attention to detail and was once one of the best oddsmakers of his day. His expertise as an oddsmaker and his knack for organization led to prominent Chicago crime gangs entrusting him with leadership of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas. Despite widespread underestimation, his unparalleled talent for generating profits and managing a casino was plain to see.
At one point in the film, Robert De Niro says, “I had [sports betting] down so good, I was given paradise on Earth.” The insatiable need for sports betting that real-life Ace Rothstein had led him to establish the first-ever legal sportsbook in the United States in 1976.
Casino is definitely not a light film, yet Scorsese delves deep into the story and people anyhow. While legitimate sportsbooks gleam like a beacon on multibillion-dollar networks like CNN and ESPN, sports betting is portrayed as the antithesis of this.
At the film’s close, Ace says, “The huge businesses took control without revealing the finale,” a complaint he makes throughout. Currently, [Vegas] functions similarly to Disneyland. The whole sports betting industry, not just Las Vegas, is subject to this in the end. The enormous influence of organized crime on sports betting has long since faded, as seen in Casino’s documentation.
Money’s Color (1986)
To the average person, the term “sports betting” conjures up images of “sharps” who make millions of dollars a day by placing hundreds of different bets from the comfort of their computers. Contrary to popular belief in the 1980s, when sports bettors were stereotyped as seedy gits with tarnished fingers, this is not the case.
The Notorious Three (1988)
Eight Men Out recounts the 1919 World Series, a controversy that is widely recognized as one of the most notorious in sports history. The film shines a light on the eight Chicago White Sox players who were permanently banned from MLB for their involvement in an illicit gambling operation. The Chicago White Sox, although being heavy favorites, blew a series lead and ultimately lost in eight games.
The fact that Eight Men Out refrains from leveling open criticism at the players who left the series makes it all the more intriguing. Most of the blame may be laid at the feet of Charles Comiskey, the owner of the Chicago White Sox. He was known to abuse his players, including offering them flat champagne after their 1917 pennant victory.
Young John Cusack and Charlie Sheen provide superb, controlled performances, and the film portrays many of the loathed White Sox players as likable individuals who are victims of powerful circumstances beyond their control. Integrity and regulation are key themes in this film, which deals with the world of sports and sports betting.
In the film, we see how unregistered and irresponsible bookmakers might influence sporting outcomes. The evolution of professional sports and sportsbooks over the last century is well shown in Eight Men Out.